About Me - Lars Nelissen van Gasselt

Lars Nelissen van Gasselt

From an early age I have been fascinated by the beauty of nature and the deeper meaning of life. As a child I expressed this in drawing and painting. It was this painting that sparked my interest in music and became a real fascination and passion: “painting with sound” as I like to call it. I received my first piano lessons in Kessel from John Timmermans, then I continued my piano lessons with Peter Simons in Venlo. After finishing high school, I took an entrance exam at the conservatory and was admitted to Avi Schönfeld‘s piano class at the conservatory in Maastricht. In the same year I also started studying choir conducting and church music. I also followed Masterclasses with Tellef Juva, Jean-Marie Cottet, Dominique Merlet en Evgeny Moguilevsky.

In 2005 I passed my final exam for classical piano as a performing musician after seven years of study with Avi Schönfeld. In 2006 I left for China and gave piano lessons here until 2009.

Music Lessons

Piano lessons for both children and adults, beginners and advanced. Music theory, singing lessons and solfège lessons. Also online video lessons via Zoom or Skype.

Performance

Acting as a soloist and accompanist at home and abroad. Performed composers include Chopin, Scriabin, Rachmaninov, Ravel, Debussy, Beethoven, Bach.

Choir Conductor

At the moment I have a handful of choirs under my leadership. I lead both profane choirs and church choirs doing the task of both conductor and organist.

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Once back in the Netherlands I continued my work as a piano teacher and have since been associated as a conductor and organist for several choirs, both ecclesiastical and profane choirs. As a pianist I give recitals and have performed on stages in Europe, China and Japan. In 2013 I participated in the ‘Yokohama International Music Competition’ in Japan where I received a special jury prize. At the moment I am involved in composing and I’m developing a piano method for beginners in which I point out the best way of developing a thorough basic knowledge of piano playing.

Besides music I like to be involved in poetry and philosophy. I am also very interested in the other arts, science and psychology. I am a strong advocate of the synthesis of art, philosophy and science. Art is like a psychological process in which all knowledge crystallizes into beauty and truth.

With whom did I study?

Avi Schönfeld

Pianist & Composer

Avi Schönfeld was a student of Artur Rubinstein, Vlado Perlemuter, Yvonne Lefèbure, Marcel Ciampi for piano and studied composition with Nadia Boulanger and Alexander Tansman. Schönfeld has had a major influence on my musical and artistic development.